The Xiaoyao Faction or Xiaoyao Pai (), also known as Tea-drinking Faction (喝茶派), translated into English as Wanderers' Faction or Faction of Bystanders or Carefree Clique, refers to the illiterate or indifferent people who do not belong to any mass organization, who do not engage in any factional struggle, and who stay away from radical movements, during the Cultural Revolution. It included some cadres of the Chinese Communist Party, and some less active Red Guards. The term "xiaoyao" comes from '' Zhuangzi'', and its original meaning in the phrase "xiaoyao pai" means having no conflicts with the world and being at ease. "Xiaoyao Pai" became a special term during the Cultural Revolution. They were spectators of the Cultural Revolution. At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, there were very few members of the Xiaoyao Faction, but as the movement progressed, its members gradually expanded. The Xiaoyao Faction was used as a term of criticism at the time. It was considered a

derogatory term A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

, and members of the so-called Xiaoyao Faction were seen as dishonorable. However, since the Xiaoyao Faction was a group of "cold-eyed spectators" during the Cultural Revolution, they could obtain rational thinking and political wisdom that the " Rebel Faction" (造反派) could not. Because of this, a new group of independent spiritual bearers emerged from the original "Xiaoyao Faction". Notable representatives of the Xiaoyao Faction included

Li Yuanchao Li Yuanchao (born 20 November 1950) is a retired Chinese politician. He was the Vice President of the People's Republic of China from 2013 to 2018 and the Honorary President of the Red Cross Society of China. He was a member of the Secretaria ...

, Li Zehou,

Yan Jiaqi Yan Jiaqi (; born December 25, 1942) is a Chinese political scientist and dissident. Biography Yan was born on 25 December 1942 in Wujin District, Changzhou, Jiangsu, during the Chinese Civil War. In 1959, he entered the University of Science a ...

, Liu Zaifu,

Fang Lizhi Fang Lizhi (also Li-Zhi; February 12, 1936 – April 6, 2012) was a Chinese astrophysicist, vice-president of the University of Science and Technology of China, and activist whose liberal ideas inspired the pro-democracy student movement ...

, and Xu Liangying.

References

{{reflist Red Guards Cultural Revolution People's Republic of China

See also

References